Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subject matter, most typically a small grouping of objects. Still life photography more so than other types of photography gives the photographer more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within a composition. Often still life photography is based on Dutch still life painting from the 17th century.

Still life photography is a demanding art, one in which the photographers are expected to be able to form their work with a refined sense of lighting, coupled with supurb compositional skills. The still life photographer makes pictures rather than takes them. So what is contemporary still life photography?

Juror: Todd Johnson

Todd Johnson is the Director of Black Box Gallery. He earned his MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. His work has been exhibited nationally in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, San Francisco and Portland Oregon. His work has been written about and reviewed in The Washington Post, The Oregonian, and online in Portland Art News. He has worked for The Portland Art Museum, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, The Art Gym at Marylhurst University, Reed College and Portland Commuity College. He has been an active photographer, educator and curator for over twenty years.

Rules/Guidelines: Black Box will provide all framing, matting and printing for our exhibitions. The photographers who are selected into the exhibition by the juror will provide a high resolution Tiff file for our gallery to print for the exhibition. Black Box covers all printing and framing costs. Other arrangements can be accomodated, if artist wants to send in a print.

Each exhibition will have 20 photographers included by the juror.

We have 18” x 24” black frames. Our white mats are pre cut for 12” x 18”, 12” x 12” and 12” x 16” prints (we also have a few other odd sized matts). We print on an Epson Stylus Pro archival ink jet printer, on Epson Premium Luster Photo paper, in a color-calibrated environment. This is a very accurate custom print, just like a custom lab would print.

All exhibition prints will be kept in a flat file after the show for future sale and promotion for the photographer, unless the photographer makes other arrangements. This will allow the gallery to further promote our photographers and exhibitions to collectors, curators, critics and to the general public. Black Box will return ship the exhibiton print to artist if preferred.

File agreement for accepted photographers who will be using our free printing services. Black Box will only print one exhibition print. If there is a sale inquiry, the photographer will be notified before a sale is confirmed, edition information will be discussed with photographer, the photographer will be sent a authentication document to be signed and go with the print to the collector. No sale or printing of file will happen without prior consent and agreement of photographer. All rights remain to the file and print with the photographer, to be used only with their prior consent. Exhibition print will not be sold, but used in our flatfile at Black Box Gallery only to promote the photographers work.

Black Box Gallery takes a 50% commission on all sales, 50% goes to the photographer. If artist prefers the print does not have to be for sale. Print will be for exhibition and promotion only.

Notification: All photographers will be notified 7-10 days after the deadline about juror selections.